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#12 - wellington, new zealand

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Wellington. New Zealand's capital city, and where I call home when I'm in the country. Wellington has a compact central city that is easy to walk around, supports a great art scene, and is also known as 'Windy Wellington' as it's impossible to use an umbrella here. You will get blown away.

Here's my Wellington top five...

1. Go for a walk or run along the Wellington waterfront. Rain or shine this is one of my favourite areas of the city. Start at the Wellington railway station and walk east to Oriental Parade. Along the way make sure you stop for either a gelato from Kaffee Eis (coconut is my favourite flavour), or a cheeky beer from Mac's Brewbar. You'll pass lots of art installations, the City Gallery on the edge of Civic Square, restaurants, and Te Papa - The Museum of New Zealand.

me, walking around the Wellington waterfront, 2011

gelato from Kaffee Eis - from memory cappuccino and coconut flavours

Wellington Civic Square at dusk

2. Eat Malaysian food! It's a local secret, but if there's one food that Wellington does well and cheap - it's Malaysian. I haven't been able to find anything as good in London, and it's always my first stop on arrival. Try either KK Malaysian or Satay Village, both next to each other on Ghuznee Street in the heart of Cuba Mall. My favourite dishes are Mee Goreng and Curry Laksa, with a side of Roti.

it may not look super-pretty, but this is one of the most tasty meals in the world (in my opinion) - Mee Goreng from KK Malaysian

3. Explore the outer bays, and grab a pie while you're at it. You'll need a car to do this, but only a day of your time. Start at Oriental Bay and head South. Make sure you stop off at a few of the following... Evens Bay, Scorching Bay (where Wellingtonians head when it's warm enough to swim), Lyall Bay, Island Bay and Owhiro Bay - where you can pull up and go for a walk along the Red Rocks. While in Island Bay go for a stroll down the parade and pick up a Steak & Cheese pie from Trisha's Pies. Delish!

Oriental Parade, 2006

Trisha's steak & cheese pie at Island Bay

4. Drink coffee and listen to some live jazz. Wellington is famous for it's independent coffee scene. There's over 300 cafés in the city, and you'll find it near impossible to get a Starbucks. Some of my favourites are: The Lido Café - a great spot for soaking up live jazz on a Sunday night as you wind down to start the week ahead, Plum Café, Fidel's Café and Midnight Espresso - all on Cuba Mall/Street.

plum café, Cuba Mall

5. Take the Wellington Cable Car up to the Botanical Gardens and get a view of the city from high up. Wellington's pretty unique - a city built on rolling hills, circling a harbour. It's worth a look from up the top, and then you can stroll down again through the gardens if you please.

Wellington Cable Car

Wellington from high up

As the Wellington City Council likes to say: Absolutely Positively Wellington!!